Clear game plan and luck the recipe for batting success, says confident Zak Crawley

The England opener was one of only two players – along with India’s Rohit Sharma – to score a half-century in the third Test and is high on confidence heading into the final match despite his struggles with spin

India v England, fourth Test: All you need to know

After scoring his fourth half-century in 11 Tests, Zak Crawley is high on confidence heading into the fourth Test and believes a clear game plan and a bit of luck are the recipe for batting success.

England were humbled in the third Test in Ahmedabad, being bowled out for 112 and 81 as they succumbed to a 10-wicket defeat against India inside two days – the fastest Test match victory since 1935.

However, Crawley, returning to the England side after missing the Chennai Tests with a freak wrist injury, was the only batsman other than India’s Rohit Sharma to record a score higher than 30. The 23-year old scored 53 runs of 84 deliveries in the first innings and is targeting another big score in the fourth Test.

"I probably had the best of it facing the seamers early, but it is still nice to score some runs," he said. "In these conditions I’ve just got to have a clear game plan before I go in there and  a lot of luck.

"I feel confident for sure. Just spending some time in the middle, getting a sight of their bowler. I hadn’t faced their bowlers, but I have a fairly good game plan now and feel confident going into this game."

^{Zak Crawley in the nets ahead of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad}

One area of concern for Crawley, and his teammates, is the dominance India’s spinners have exerted over England’s top order. Ravi Ashwin and Axar Patel have dismissed England’s top three on 13 occasions in this series, with Patel accounting for five of the six wickets in the third Test.

Crawley, brought in at number one to replace Rory Burns, fell victim to the 27-year old in both innings – lbw in the first innings and bowled for a golden duck in the second – and has been dismissed by left-arm spinners on six occasions this winter. However, he isn’t reading too much into these statistics.

"I don’t think it’s a big issue," he countered. "I’ve been bowled by some good balls and I’m facing a lot of left-arm spin. It’s pretty much spin from both ends all the time so I’m going to get out to one of the spinners unless I get 200 not out!

"For a right-handed batsman, the left arm is going to pose more of a challenge. One ball is going to skid on and if I miss it, I’ll be out but if it’s Ashwin – an unbelievable bowler – if one goes straight from him and I miss it, it’s going to be not out. It’s just one of those difficulties that right-handers face and it’s why left-handers find it so hard against Ashwin."

Addressing the performance of Patel, who took 11 wickets in the third Test, he continued: "He is a very good bowler, especially in these conditions. He’s extremely accurate and doesn’t give you much to score; he’s got one that goes straight and one that turns so he’s a great bowler.

"[But] we’ve played against a few good bowlers this series and managed to score some runs and win matches, so there’s no reason why we can’t do that [in the fourth Test]."

Crawley also refused to be drawn into the debate surrounding the quality of the pitch at the reconstructed Narendra Modi Stadium, commenting that missed opportunities were really to blame.

He said: "I think [the pitch] will be similar and why wouldn’t it be? They’ve played well on the last two pitches that have turned.

^{Axar Patel took 11 wickets in the third Test, taking his total to 18 for the series}

"It wasn’t easy to score for sure, but it was the same for both sides and they played very well. We had our chances and unfortunately, we didn’t play as well as we needed to."

And, despite their previous poor performance in Ahmedabad, Crawley believes it is a mistake rule out an England victory.

"We’re only one game down and we won a great first Test. It’s going to require us to get a good first innings lead and bat really well. Our bowlers have been doing nicely to bowl them out for 145 and if we can replicate that and get a nice lead in the first innings, it will put them under a lot of pressure," he said.

"It’s still a massive game for us and obviously it’ll be a big game for them. They’ll want to be in the World Test Championship final so there’s still loads to pay for and whether it’s the Test championship or not, you want to win every Test match.

"[India] would be very disappointed with a [series] draw and we’d be very happy. It’s an unbelievable winter if we can pull off four [wins] out of six test matches."

Images courtesy of BCCI

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